Game-board.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1903.

C. J. DDRSEY. GAME BOARD. nrmm'now FILED me. 15,1902.

30 MODEL.

wirhwaoe'a m: norms PETER UNITED STATES Patented June 9, 1903.

PATENT Orricn.

GAME-BOARD.

.SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,351, dated June 9, 1903.

Application filed August 15. 1902. fierial No. 119,766. (No model.)

f aZZ who??? it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. DoRsEv, a resident of the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game-Boards; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to game-boards in which a ball is or balls are driven by a spring operated device against a stop or deflector, by which the ball is caused to move onto a part of the board having receiving-spaces.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the board. Fig. 2 is a section view on line 2 2. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a guard. Fig. 4 is a side View of the spring shooting device detached from the board. Fig disa partial plan view of 'a modification.

The board 1 is provided with a considerable number of ball-receiving spaces, pockets, or depressions 2, arranged in rows and marked with certain arbitrarily-chosen values, as 5/ 10, 15, &c. Some of these pockets are individually protected, except on one side, by a metal or other guard device 6, which partially surrounds the space or pocket and extends higher than the upper surface of the board. This device is shown as a wire bent into curved form and having legs 7 bent down at right angles and adapted to secure the devices to the board. Evidently device 6 may be of other material and may be differently secured. The main object of said device 6 is to so guard some of the pockets that a ball can only enter them from one side, thus increasing the difficulty of pocketing the ball. In Fig. 1 the devices (3 are shown approximately semicircular. In Fig. 5 the guard device is made more nearly a ring, thus narrowing the opening through which the ball can enter. In this form and sometimes when using the semicircular guards the parts forming the ends of w the guard on the surface of the board are beveled at 8 9 and come to an edge at 11. This makes the inner sides of the opening to the pockets substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the board. The outer bevels deflect balls, striking them in a better manner than the curved surface formed by bending the wire to form arms 7 but the invention is not limited to the use of these beveled surfaces. Guard 6 also serves as a stop for the ball if the depression does not stop it or if there be no depression within the guard.

The board is provided with a rim 12, having an interior flange 13; This forms a covered way for a ball around the edge of the board and reduces the danger of the projected ball leaving the board. Said way is open on the inner side, so that the ball can escape there from onto the board at any point. The main advantage of having the inner side of said way fully open is that a player may project the ball lightly, and thus allow it to roll out of said way before reaching the ball-deflector.

:B, Fig. 1, denotes a ball in position ready to be shot.

supporting-bolt 15 in slot 15", the operating face of part 15 in or nearly in a plane extending radially of the board. Hence the ball striking it tends to bounce back in the direction oppositeto that in which it came.

In using the board it should be supported so as to slope downward toward box 16. This slope will give the ball a tendency to roll downward. As the ball rolls it will enter a pocket or will find its way to one of the compartments 17 at the front end of the board or back into the circular way. The outer partitions 18 are so inclined as to throw the ball into the circular way when it rolls against the outerside of said partitions.

20 indicates a plate pivoted at 21, having a handle 22,=a lug 23, to which is secured a wooden or other ball-striking plug 24.

indicates a pin secured to plate 20 and extending through curved slot 26, and to the lower end of the pin is secured an operatingspring 27, the opposite end of which is secured to the under side of the board at 28.

One way in which this board may be used is as follows: Part 15having been fixed at any selected point in the way and within the length of slot 15", ball B is projected by pulling handle 22 to the right and then releasing it, allowing spring 27 to forcibly carry block 24 against the ball. If the blow is sufficiently hard, the ball will follow the way until it strikes the device 15, which will throw it on to the central part of the board. Account should be kept of the values marked on the spaces or pockets in which the ball comes to rest by, say, ten shots. A second player then has his turn. Some of the pockets may count positive and others, as spaces 17, negative. By adjusting part 15 a player can try for particular pockets and vary the trial by such adjustment as well as by the force of projection. It is not essential that a part of the pockets be without guards. If the ball is returned to the circular Way by inclines 18, all points may be taken from the player.

The ball is preferably market Stag and the numerous pockets are the Forest, through more or less of which the Stag finds his way.

I claim- 1. A game-board having around its edge a 20 way for a ball to roll in and fully open on its inner side whereby the ball can leave the way at any point without obstruction before reaching the ball-deflector, a ball-deflector in said way, means for projecting the ball along said way and ball-receiving pockets in the board.

2. A game-board having a circular way for guiding a ball, and a ball-deflector in said way, ball-pockets, spaces 17 at the front edge of the board, and the partitions 18 inclined outwardly toward said way on either side of the board but terminating at a distance from said Way and adapted to deflect a ball striking their outer sides into said way.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. DORSEY.

WVitnesses:

EDWARD LILLY,

IRVING M. SELBY. 

